Let The Commemorative Muggings Begin

[I]t turns out that historically, royal weddings actually are bad for tourismeven when the royals in question were considerably more vivid than the current pair. The wedding of Charles and Diana accompanied a 15 percent drop in U.K. tourism, while that of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson saw an 8 percent decline from the average for that time of year. Perhaps tourists don’t like knowing they’re officially not the center of attention.

(Photo: Royal memorabilia in the window of the Windsor Castle pub in central London, on March 16, 2011. By Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images)

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.